Tauranga locals excited to be shaving their heads for good cause

Jessica Arlund will shave her hair off for Shave For A Cure. Photo/Ruth Keber

Papamoa College student Jessica Arlund is getting a buzz cut to help others in need.

The 12-year-old is shaving her hair off to help raise money for Shave For A Cure, the signature fundraising event for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand, which sees thousands of people each year shave their heads.

Jess said she was excited for her big shave.

She had been talking to a school mate about what it would be like to be bald and started researching online, stumbling across Shave For A Cure.

"I saw it's a really good cause to support, to raise money for children who suffer from leukaemia and blood cancer, so I decided to do it," she told the Bay of Plenty Times.

"It's helping other children, people's lives are worth more than my hair," she said.

She said all of her friends and family had been very supportive and she had already raised more than $1600.

Although Jess did not know of anyone who had lost their hair through chemotherapy, her mother Jan Goldie had battled breast cancer in 2011.

She underwent an operation and radiotherapy.

Although Jess would miss her long golden locks, she was excited to not have to wash and style her hair so much.

Across town in Welcome Bay, 33-year-old mother Fern Paulussen was also shaving her head for the charity.

After raising her goal of $1000 well before her shave date next Thursday, Ms Paulussen decided to get quirky with fundraising - she is auctioning off the rights to cut her ponytail off and keep it on TradeMe.

"It's something different and could raise even more money and awareness for cancer," she said.

Ms Paulussen lost her grandmother to a type of blood cancer and thought shaving her head was a way to remember and honour her.

"I've always seen people doing it and thought 'how cool' but I've always been too scared. But this year I just told myself I was going to do it."

It was way out of her comfort zone but worth it.

She was looking forward to the liberated feel having a shaved head would bring - though her young children were not so keen on the idea.

Ms Paulussen's hair was listed on Trade Me and her Shave for a Cure campaign could be found on the website.

She would be shaving her head at Bayfair Farmers on the evening of March 23.

Jess would be shaving her hair on Tuesday at En Jay Hair Salon, The Cruise Deck, 169 Maunganui Rd.